Box Score March 23, 2014 - For Will Polley (River Forest, IL/Oak Park-River Forest), it was not the late-inning call that he is used to getting, but it worked out just fine for both Polley and the Concordia-Chicago Cougars. Entering today's game at Washington University of St. Louis, the junior transfer had appeared in five games out of the bullpen with two wins and a perfect ERA in 5 1/3 innings. But in the ninth inning, CUC head coach Adam Smith asked Polley to grab a bat. Polley then delivered a pinch-single to drive in the go-ahead run and spur the Cougars to a 4-1 win over the Bears.
"Will really made me look like a genius," joked Smith after the Cougars' eighth consecutive victory.
Coming off of one-run wins over Webster University and the College of St. Scholastica on Saturday, the Cougars appeared in danger of letting today's opportunity slip away. Washington righthander Matt Tracy and his vast array of breaking balls had the CUC hitters slightly out of sync. In addition, a couple of gaffes cost the Cougars the few opportunities they did have.
However, as in the win over Webster yesterday, Concordia-Chicago rose to the occasion in the top of the ninth inning. Steve Zubrzycki (McHenry, IL/Marian Central Catholic) led off with a slicing double to the right-center gap. Carlos Olavarria (Rosemont, IL/East Leyden) then looped a single to short centerfield. Zubrzycki, forced to hold up as three fielders converged on the ball, could only make third base on the hit. The fourth spot was due up next. Brent Spohr (Ingleside, IL/Grant Community) had started the game in the cleanup spot as the designated hitter but had been taken down for a pinch-runner in his previous at-bat. Smith went for Polley, a left-handed hitter who had been taking swings in practice but was making his first official at-bat in the clutch situation. Polley fell behind 0-2 but showed patience and a good batter's eye in working the count full while fouling off a couple of pitches. Finally, Polley got the pitch he wanted and yanked it sharply past the diving first baseman. Zubrzycki trotted home with the lead run as Olavarria made third base. Kyle Huber (Chicago, IL/Lane Tech) was next up, and he greeted the new Bears' pitcher with a single to right on a 2-0 count. Olavarria scored on the play while pinch-runner Grant Davis (Morris, IL/Morris Community) moved up to second. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and a walk to Colin Bethran (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) loaded the bases. One out later, Rich Santarelli (Homer Glen, IL/Chicago Christian) lifted a fly to leftfield that scored Davis for a three-run lead. "Our hitters keep working and never give up. Even if you come up in a clutch situation and you're 0-3, you just go up there, stick with a good approach and not try to do too much. That's what our hitters have been doing, and these past two days have rewarded their efforts," said Smith.
The Cougars grabbed a quick 1-0 lead as Dan Eichholzer (Elwood, IL/Joliet West) and Olavarria rapped out base hits in their initial at-bats. Spohr's chopper to shortstop then drove in the game's opening score. C.J. Selner (Milwaukee, WI/Milwaukee Lutheran) made his fourth start of the season on the mound and produced a quality effort. He limited the Bears to four singles over the first five innings and picked off anxious baserunners in the second and fifth innings. Washington evened the score in the sixth as Max Golembo led off with a single that just eluded the charging left and centerfielders. Selner then issued his only walk of the day on a 3-2 pitch that looked to have the inside corner. Chris Lowery followed with a single in the hole between third and short to plate Golembo.
The drama intensified as Andrew Dwoskin was plunked on the hip by a 2-2 pitch to load the bases. But Selner recovered and got a first-pitch pop to third base for out number one. The next batter hit a grounder to third, and Olavarria threw home to force the lead runner. Selner then fanned Kyle Billig to strand all three runners and keep the score even.
Kurt Kempema (Schaumburg, IL/H.S.) pitched the seventh and eighth innings, and he would eventually be credited with the win to improve to 2-0. Kempema worked around an error in the seventh and a leadoff double in the eighth, stranding the latter at third base and setting the stage for the Cougars' heroics in the ninth. Steve Cox (Villa Park, IL/Willowbrook) earned his third save of the weekend and fourth overall with a scoreless ninth inning. The Bears put two runners on base with one out, but a ground ball to short and a fly to left closed out the win and put an exclamation on the team's weekend in the St. Louis area. The Cougars (12-2) are scheduled to host Concordia University Wisconsin on Saturday to open Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play. Fans are advised to check cucougars.com for schedule updates.
